I had to deal with the most insane, stupid, and quite possibly scary customer I've ever had to deal with today. I almost thought he was going to try to kill me.
This guy came up to my register today and slapped down a newspaper, it was the only thing he was buying. I don't know if I said hello to him or not, I don't engage in idle talk with my customers, it's a waste of time. But as I was scanning the UPC I scanned over the articles on the front page.
He asked me if I found the articles interesting, and I said there were a few I might read later. At the time, he seemed civil and all right. Then he did the oddest thing... when I gave him his change, he left the newspaper at my register and got another one and walked out the door.
About 10-15 minutes and several customers later, he walks back in. I asked him if there was something wrong and he said he wanted to return the newspaper, because of "shitty customer service". I called up a manager to do the return and she told him he couldn't return newsprint, state law. He said he wanted to return it because I was rude to him, that I didn't say hi, or bye, or thank you, or ask him how his day was, and I was flipping through his newspaper, and they should fire me. The manager told him that she would talk to me in her office but she couldn't return the paper.
Then he exploded. He said in a loud voice: "Fine, shit, fuck this stupid store, I'm not fucking shopping here again. The customer service around here is fucking shit, fuck you guys." He knocked over a display and ran out.
10 more minutes later, a newspaper was flung through our front door. A minute later he came in again and started swearing and scaring customers again, telling us ONCE AGAIN that we all sucked shit (as if we hadn't heard it enough from him). The manager was trying to help a customer that was terrified, and told him to leave and never return. He was like "What did you say? You wanna say that to my face? I'll kick your fucking ass you tiny bitch." she told him that she was helping another customer, and he gave up and left. As he left, I told him "Next time you come in here, I'm calling the police." His response: "Go ahead, I don't give a fuck."
I watched him get in a car and drive away this time.
15-20 minutes later:
He comes in a FOURTH time. Asks me "Do you enjoy being an asshole?" (not as much as you seem to, fucker). "Do you know how to treat customers with respect?" I called the manager up, and then picked up the phone again, and started to dial 911 as I told him I was calling the police. He left.. for good this time.
I was honestly afraid the next time he'd show up with a gun. I'm afraid he'll hold a grudge against me for a long time and start trouble at our store again.
I'm worried my store manager will fire me for causing an incident, even though I did nothing and he was overreacting over a stupid fucking newspaper.
Someone needs to run this fucker's ass over with a hummer or something. Or send him to Iraq. To get that worked up over a newspaper shows severe lack of braincells and anger management, not to mention maturity.
Edit:
Irony here. The main front page article was about a new mental hospital opening up. Guy should chell himself in.
